CopRice Flexiblends™ delivers balanced feed solutions. Flexiblends Lamb Safe Start is formulated to safely introduce lambs to grain-based supplementary rations.
CopRice FlexiBlends™ is an innovative way to deliver nutritionally-balanced feed solutions to optimise the health and performance of sheep and cattle.
Each blend is created using high quality grains, vegetable proteins, fibre sources and VitaMinBuf™ concentrate pellets, specifically formulated to boost the energy, protein or fibre content of available feed resources.
A range of base blends are available for different livestock classes and feeding situations.
Alternatively, CopRice nutritionists can prepare tailored blends to match specific feeding objectives or feed resources.
One such blend is CopRice Flexiblends Lamb Safe Start, which has been formulated to safely introduce lambs to grain-based supplementary rations.
Find out more about CopRice Flexiblends Lamb Safe Start here.
It contains a mix of barley, cracked lupins and soybean hulls to provide a rich source of energy and protein in a complete, palatable and easily-digested ration.
The blend also contains CopRice VitaMinBuf™ Lamb Feedlot concentrate pellets, which provide a balanced source of macro and micro-minerals, vitamins and other essential ingredients to optimise growth and safeguard the health of lambs.
They include a rumen buffer and yeast culture help maintain healthy rumen function, reduce the risk of acidosis and improve digestion; anionic salts to minimise the risk of urinary calculi; and the scientifically-proven rumen modifier, lasalocid sodium (Bovatec*).
Paraway Pastoral Company has successfully used Flexiblends Lamb Safe Start in feeding programs on two of its properties in recent months.
Borambil Manager, Matt Browning, used Flexiblends Lamb Safe Start to successfully induct 8000 Merino wethers to feedlot rations last summer.
Located about 20 km south of Condobolin, Borambil hosts a large-scale wool and lamb enterprise, as well as dryland and irrigated cropping.
“We had a forward contract that we had to fill by Australia Day and we weren’t getting the growth rates we needed on lucerne pastures and barley,” Matt says.
“We needed to get them to 50 kg liveweight and we were running out of time, so we put them straight into the feedlot, where they had ad-lib access to Lamb Safe Start.
“We didn’t even adjust the slides on the feeders because we’d been trail-feeding 200 g/head/day of barley in the paddock, so the wethers were already used to the taste of grain.”
Each three-tonne feeder was three-quarters filled with Lamb Safe Start and then topped up with a mix of barley, cracked lupins and a buffer to ensure a smooth transition towards the high energy finishing ration.
“Acidosis is part-and-parcel of feeding grain and you could normally expect a couple of deaths,” Matt says.
“For the first couple of days, I was getting up at night to check on the sheep in the feedlot but I needn’t have worried – we didn’t have a single death over 8000 head.
“Lamb Safe Start means we can turn the switch straight from pasture to a full-on feedlot ration with confidence.”
Another Paraway property, Pooginook, located 65 km north of Jerilderie, successfully used Lamb Safe Start and a Flexiblends custom blend in its ram rearing program.
One of Australia’s leading Merino studs, Pooginook breeds and sells more than 3000 dual-purpose Merino and Poll Merino rams annually.
Sheep were trail-fed grain before given access to Lamb Safe Start for 10 days and then a custom blend especially formulated to complement available pastures.
The latter comprised a mix of oats, barley, almond hulls, cracked lupins, rice bran, canola oil and VitaMinBuf™ Sheep Dry Feed Concentrate to provide a low-starch ration that contain 12% protein, 11.5 MJ/kg energy and 11.8% fibre.
Pooginook Stud Manager, John Sutherland, says he was very happy with the safety and performance of both blends.
“We had no problems with acidosis whatsoever and we achieved growth rates of up to 300 g per day,” he says.
“What I like about FlexiBlends is that you can customise the formulation according to the season with the help of the CopRice nutritionist.
“It’s a great concept.
“Plus Coleambally is only just down the road, which is a bonus.”
Take advantage of our Flexiblends offer. Buy 12 Tonne of CopRice FlexiBlends and get 1 Tonne Free*. Offer available until 31 Oct 2021.
Submit your details to CopRice below for a callback or contact your local rural supplier and find out how CopRice Flexiblends Lamb Safe Start can get your lambs off to the best start.
*Terms and conditions: Offer valid for all purchases of Lamb Safe Start, Lamb Safe Start 40%, Flexiblends Lamb Feedlot, Flexiblends Lamb Feedlot 25% and Flexiblends Lamb Feedlot + Corn. Offer valid for minimum order of 12 tonnes. Offer ends 31/10/21. Offer limited to one redemption per customer. ®Registered trademark of CopRice, a division of Ricegrowers Limited, trading as SunRice. CPA18006.
